Details of Sculptor

Surname

Van Spangen

Alternative Surname

Spanger

First Name

Richard, of Camberwell

Initial of Surname

V

Year of Birth/Baptism

Flourished

Year of Death

1757

Biographical Details

A mason and haberdasher of Camberwell, Surrey. He was the son of Richard Van Spangen and was apprenticed to Samuel Fulkes, of the Haberdashers Company, for seven years on 30 April 1703. He married Ann Fisher on 10 October 1723 at St Giles Church in Camberwell; their son, another Richard Van Spangen, was apprenticed to the Haberdashers on 8 May 1741, although he, like his father, became a stonemason.
In 1728 he subscribed to James Gibbs’s Book of Architecture and the following year carved a font to Gibbs’s design (3). This was commissioned by a Mr Hume whose memorandum reads ‘Sept 1729 I agreed with Mr Van Spangen to make me a font to the dimensions and form of the draught made by Mr Gibbs architect. The Bason and pedestal to be of the best white veined marble. The plinth of black marble vein’d with gold, and the step of Portland stone. The whole to be perforated with a brass stop-cock to carry off the water into a cistern below, and to be set up in Dulwich College Chapel’ (Young 1889, 2, 346).
He is likely to be the ‘Mr Spangor’ who provided the monument for Lord Trevor, commissioned by the 3rd Baron Trevor (1). It has an armorial shield with helm, crest and supporters, and a cushion of white marble supporting the baron’s coronet. The Rev Benjamin Rogers noted in his diary ‘Some of the marble cost Mr. Spangor the Statuary in the block in Italy 18s. per foot, which stood him in 26s. per foot when brought to London, this was black with yellow veins’ (Harvey 1872-8, 68). It was completed on 25 October 1732. His largest known commission is the monument to Alderman Arthur Winsley (2), a full-length reclining portrait statue of a Colchester cloth merchant and philanthropist, seen turning thoughtfully away from a book imploring the viewer to ‘Go and do likewise’ (the iconography was suggested by Winsley himself in his will). The work was only recently identified as Van Spangen’s from a contract in Essex Record Office (Beattie 2023), and the scale of the work suggests that he was a more substantial sculptor than might be assumed from his few currently known works.
In 1747 he was the principal beneficiary in the will of his ‘only brother,’ John Van Spangen of St James, Westminster, who left him all his money, chattels and household goods (PROB 11/757/96 proved 5 October 1747). There was a sale of a collection of paintings by John Van Spangen, ‘late of Poland Street,’ soon after, on 10 February 1748, at Cock’s sale rooms. The timing suggests that this well-known art collector was Spangen’s brother. The collection consisted mainly of works bought by Van Spangen in Holland, including notable works by Rembrandt. It also included a number of ivories by Francois Duquesnoy (Catalogue of the Entire Collection of Curious Pictures of Mr John Van Spangen, Cock and Langford, London 10 February 1748).
Spangen appears to have had some association with Thomas Dunn, who names him as ‘Richard Spanger other Spangen’ of Camberwell in his will. Van Spangen acted as an executor and was left £5 and a gold mourning ring (PROB 11/747/12-15).
Gunnis possessed a letter from Van Spangen, dated 19 December 1749, addressed to a Mr Hooper of Hailsham, Sussex, enclosing three drawings for monumental tablets. The current whereabouts of this letter is unknown, but Gunnis quoted it at length. Spangen wrote ‘the enclosed sketches I have made according to your direction, the expense will be about what you mention; they are drawn to a small scale but when executed will be about 8 ft. high and breadth proportionate. Materials to be of the best white and Veined and statuary marble’. It continues, ‘the inscription to be engraved and painted black, and the coat of arms in proper colours and executed in a workmanlike manner’. It is not known if Mr Hooper ever ordered from one of these designs and there is no sign of any work resembling them in Hailsham church.
Van Spangen was buried on 8 February at St Giles’ Camberwell and, unusually, was interred at the same time as his wife, who seems to have died at the same time. His will, drafted in 1748, made Ann his sole heir, but it was proved on 14 February 1757 after her death with her heir, Thomas Metcalfe, acting as sole executor.

MGS (rev. 2023)

Literary References: Lugt, 552; Gunnis 1968, 361; Craske 2000 (2), 105, 112 n27-8; Beattie 2023, passim
Archival References: RG/JP, 8, 1501
Will: PROB 11/828